"Demanding Your Rights"

Yes, it's true, as Christians we do have rights that have been given us. However, many Christians do not walk in what rightly belongs to them. For two basic reasons. First, many Christians still do not understand what Christianity is and second, they do not know that as Christians they do have rights.

WHAT IS CHRISTIANITY?

First of all, Christianity is not a religion!

To better understand this statement we need to define religion and Christianity. A religion is defined as a group of teachings designed to tell a person how to live, designed by a teacher who can furnish no power to enable a follower to live up to the teachings. Whereas Christianity is a relationship to a living person who has not only provided a group of teachings about how to live, but who indwells His followers so as to provide continued power to live the suggested life. As Christians, we are the only ones in the entire world whose Messiah has been raised from the dead and is living today! So, Christianity is not some dead religion but it is a personal living relationship with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ who by the Holy Spirit indwells all born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christianity is not a religion, it is not a denomination, it is not a church building. Christianity is a family, it is the Father and His children. Christianity is a love relationship between Jesus (the groom) and the invisible churches (the bride).

Christianity is a way of life seven days a week. Glory to God! (Eph. 5:22-32); (Rom. 8:14-17) (John 3:3,6).

If you're not a Christian you can be born again by confessing Jesus as your Lord and believing in your heart that He is raised from the dead according to ( Romans 10:8-10). That's how simple it is to become a born again believer (a true Christian). In fact that is the only way you can become a Christian.

WHAT RIGHTS DO WE HAVE?

Now once we receive this free gift of Salvation, through the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, as spirit beings we are born again (recreated by the Holy Spirit) (2 Cor. 5:17) and immediately taken from Satan's family and moved into God's family (Col. 1:12-14). Now that we are members of God's family, we have become joint-heirs with Christ; we have come into an inheritance. As citizens of the Kingdom of God, we are now entitled to the rights that belong to the citizens of the kingdom of God. (Rom. 8:14-17). And here is a partial list of what rightfully belongs to us -things that God has already given us: A recreated human spirit (2 Cor. 5:17)

Righteousness or right standing with God like we've never done anything wrong (1 Cor. 1:30)

Set free from Satan's hold (Col. 1:13)

Set free from sin (Rom. 6:18) Fruits of the Spirit belong to us (Gal. 5:16, 22-23)

A right not to worry (1 Peter 5:7) A right to walk in love (I John 3:23) A right to walk frees of the curse and walk in the blessings of Abraham (Gal. 3:13-14), (Deu. 28)

A right to walk in divine health (Matt. 8:16-17), (1 Peter 2:24)

A right to have all needs met (Phil. 4:19)

A right to have all financial needs met abundantly (Phil. 4:19), (Matt.3:8-10), (Mark 10:29-30), (Luke 6:38) A right to be filled with the Holy Spirit and power (Acts 1:8), (Eph. 5:18), (Acts 19:6)

A right to the use of the name of Jesus and the authority in it (Matt. 28:18-20), (Mark 16:15-20), (James 4:7) The right to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with people everywhere (Matt. 18:18-20), (Rom. 10:13-17), (Mark 16:15-20)

I have a right to a sound Inning (2 Tim. 1:7)

Fear and oppression cannot come near me! (Isaiah 54:14)

These are only a few of the rights that belong to us! Glory to God!

WHAT AUTHORITY DO WE HAVE?

In (Matthew.28:18) Jesus said that all authority was given to him in heaven and in earth. He then turned and gave that authority to the church and said in my name go into all the world and make disciples of all nations.

You see in the beginning man was created in God's own image and likeness and God then gave man domination over all the earth. Adam was made god of this world! (Gen. 1:26-28), (Psalms 8:1-9). But man sinned, bowed his knees to Satan and gave Satan dominion over this world and man became a slave to Satan! (Luke 4:6) Man took on the nature of sin and death (Satan's nature) and joined Satan's family. Man was to spend eternity in this sinful condition separated from God.

But Glory to God! Jesus took on the form of a man and took man's place. Jesus was innocent, He never sinned. But He was made sin for man. He died spiritually on the cross taking on the nature of sin and death. He was separated from the Godhead as Satan took Jesus to the pits of hell for you and me! Jesus literally became man's substitute and paid the death penalty for you and me in order to satisfy the demands of justice. Jesus paid the price for you and me and was taken to hell illegally by Satan since Jesus himself was innocent. Consequently the demands of justice were met and Jesus was born again raised from the spiritually dead brought back to the family of life! (Heb. 1:5), (Rom.8:29) (Col.1:15,18) Jesus was the first one to be brought back from the family of the spiritually dead, making it possible for man to escape from Satan's family as well and once again have his dominion over Satan and circumstances restored! Thank God for Jesus!

Now when God raised Jesus from the dead Jesus threw off all principalities and powers defeating Satan in his own back yard (Col. 2:15). He stripped Satan of all power and authority. Potentially Satan has absolutely no power over Christians unless you allow him to (Rev.1:11-19), "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given a NAME WHICH IS ABOVE EVERY NAME: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

And in (Eph. 1:19-23), we see that God raised Jesus from the dead and placed Him far above all principality, and power, and might and dominion AND EVERY NAME THAT IS NOT ONLY IN THIS WORLD, BUT ALSO IN THAT WHICH IS TO COME! In reality all that God is, all that heaven represents is in Name of Jesus. And that name and all the authority in that name was given to the church to use here on this earth. You and I are to take the name of Jesus and walk in TOTAL dominion here on earth now and fulfil the great commission!

POWER OF ATTORNEY

In fact, Jesus has given Christians power of attorney. He has given us the right to use His name in all that we do. In other words He has given us a signed blank check and we fill in whatever it is we need, desire or want as long as it's in line with God's Word.

Everything that we do under the New Testament is done with the authority vested us in the Name of Jesus. With this authority vested us in the Name of Jesus we preach the Gospel, lead people to the Lord, lay hands on the sick, give our tithes and offerings, receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and speak in other tongues just to mention a few. The authority has been given us in the Name of Jesus to baptise people in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit! According to (John 16:23-24) because of the authority given us in the Name of Jesus we can bring our petitions to the Heavenly Father and expect Him to grant us these petitions. And, according to (Mark 16:15-20) and (James 4:7), we have a right to use the Name of Jesus and all the authority that's in that name to do spiritual combat with Satan!

TAKE THAT NAME AND DEMAND YOUR RIGHTS!

(John 14:13) reads, "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." The word "ask" in the Greek means whatsoever ye shall demand as your right. To demand, to command as you're right - not as a favour.

NOW UNDERSTAND CLEARLY, WE ARE NOT DEMANDING OR COMMANDING ANYTHING FROM GOD! God has already given us abundantly in every area of life and it's the Devil who is trying to rob the Christians of their inheritance! So as born again believers take the Name of Jesus and demand your rights! Remember the Name of Jesus is higher than any name there is! Satan is a name. Cancer is a name. Poverty is a name. Strife is a name. Flu is a name. Diabetes is a name, etc.....

Take the name of Jesus and demand that sickness and disease leave your body. Take the Name of Jesus and demand that fear leave you alone. Resist the devil in the Name of Jesus and he must flee as if in terror. Demand the financial shortage leave you, in the Name of Jesus, and prosperity come your way. Fight the good fight of faith in every area of life!

Begin to demand your rights boldly and stop the devil from stealing any more of your inheritance. And begin to walk in the fullness of what God has already provided for you through Jesus Christ.

Praise God for Jesus. Praise God we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ!

By Jim Kaseman